Summer's end
by Konnie-chan
Summary: About endings and beginnings TY, TK.- I've posted this again, read it, please? spell checked


SUMMER'S END   
  
by Konnie  
  
A/N: Here is the revised version. Since I had three reviews, I decided to do it. Thanks to Nikki, L-chan and Dee for taking the time. It was really nice to find the review little message on my mail board. Thanks to you I didn't quit writing fan fiction altogether.  
  
This is clamp's wonderful creation, not mine.  
  
Read on!  
  
-------------------------  
  
The alarm clock didn't go off that morning. It was useless to set it on, considering he wouldn't be able to sleep anyway. Not even knowing today he'd have to go to school again.   
  
This was going to be painfully hard.   
  
For a month now all Touya'd done was to wallow in his own misery. It was almost ironic. Sleep would elude him completely during the night, leaving him alone with his own thoughts that, to be completely honest, were starting to scare him. But during the day it was almost impossible to get out of bed. He didn't want to.  
  
To do so would mean to face his father and his worried glances. It would mean sitting alone in the house with nothing else to do but remember that he didn't have anyone to hang out with. At this point, all he'd ask was for someone to share their time with him.   
  
Touya was never one to make many friends. He was a loner by nature. But a year of sharing your life and soul with someone would make that lifestyle seem very lonely.   
  
He'd never truly realized how lonely he was before that day.  
  
~"When we meet again, you'll have someone new, and so will I."~  
  
Those were her words.  
  
How many times had he thought of proving her wrong once and for all? Of preventing any chance of them ever meeting again?   
  
Yes, that thought assaulted him more often than any other lately. The one thing that stopped him was his father and Sakura. He'd promised to his mother that he'd take care of them. He knew he wasn't being useful; he'd stopped helping them the day that Kaho left him. And they'd seemed to manage alright without him. But he was sure that, if he did what he really wanted, he'd only hurt them, and he'd never forgive himself for that.  
  
But every night that passed, the cons seemed less important than the pros, and Touya had even gone as far as to pick the razor blade. It had never gone further than a scratch on his wrist. Something always seemed to stop him.   
  
Should he be thankful for that?  
  
What prospects of improvement in his life did he have? He'd always be lonely. Kaho had been the only one who understood what it was like to be him. No one else ever would.   
  
He groaned, exasperated, and covered his face with the pillow. He wanted to scream, to cry, something. Something that would get all that pain out. He wanted it out.   
  
He heard the door to his room opening. Apparently his father had forgotten how to knock that summer. Touya was thankful that he didn't even feel like doing something that would be embarrassing to be caught doing. But he knew his father was only worried about him, and not just rude. Seriously worried.  
  
You'd think he'd be better hiding his death wish from his family, wouldn't you?   
  
Or maybe his father knew what he was feeling. Touya wasn't stupid. He knew his father must have suffered even more than himself when his mother passed away. He'd thought about asking him how he'd managed, but that would have given him away completely.   
  
It was better if Fujitaka only thought him lazy.  
  
Touya never pulled the pillow from over his face, but Fujitaka wasn't discouraged. He walked in and sat next to him. He gently shook his arm, but Touya ignored him.  
  
"Are you awake, Touya?" His father asked kindly. He just groaned and rolled over to his side, giving his back to his father, who shook his arm a little harder. "C'mon, it's time to get up. Breakfast is ready."  
  
"Later." he mumbled, hoping his father would just go away. So what if he missed his first day at school? What could he miss, really, that he couldn't easily catch up with the next day, or maybe next week?  
  
His father pulled the pillow away and stared at him sternly.  
  
"Have you slept at all?" there was no judgment in his tone, only concern, which made Touya furious. Why couldn't he just be angry?  
  
"I was trying to, but you barged in."  
  
His father now pulled the covers off and stood up. Touya groaned again.  
  
"C'mon, up! I made coffee extra strong just for you. Today when you come back from school you'll be so tired you won't have any trouble sleeping, you'll see." Fujitaka said cheerfully.  
  
"Fine!" he said grumpily. "Leave so I can get dressed." he sat up and rubbed his eyes wearily. His father shook his head no and turned around.  
  
"I won't look. C'mon, hurry or you'll be late."  
  
Touya was lucky his father wasn't facing him, because the expression on his face at that moment surely betrayed how much he felt like punching him.   
  
He made sure of dressing as slowly as he could, just to see if his father lost his patience, but he didn't, and Touya was sure he was smiling that annoying smile of his.  
  
"I'm done," he whispered and walked into the bathroom. When he got out his father was still waiting for him, standing there with that maddening expression. He didn't need a baby sitter!   
  
At least his father had the decency to keep quiet about how little he ate at breakfast. He only stared at him funny once and Touya swore if he made a comment about it he'd throw the waffles right to his face.   
  
He sighed, relieved, when his father informed him that he'd be driving Sakura to school, since it was her first day of school. The last thing he needed was a peppy eight-year-old on his tail.  
  
On the ride to school he couldn't stop thinking about the nightmare that day would be. New classmates, for starters. And what was worse, surely he'd run into someone familiar, who'd ask about his 'older girlfriend'. He'd make sure to crawl into the darkest corner of the classroom and avoid everyone as much as possible. He did NOT want to talk, about *anything* with *anyone*. Maybe if he seemed rude the girls from his class wouldn't hang around him like flies every breathing second, like the year before.   
  
And that's what he did. He sat on the last row, as far away from the window as he could to avoid the sunlight hurting his eyes, sensitive from lack of sleep, and to be noticed by anyone else. His mind wasn't there, so his body might as well pass as unnoticed as possible.   
  
His mind was, specifically, under the sacred tree at Tsukimine temple. The teacher came in and introduced himself, but all he could hear was Kaho introducing herself that first day under that tree. The day he told her finally how much he loved her. Their first kiss.   
  
His mind completely drifted away. Not even sticking to the happy memories was enough to keep him from falling apart, since they were memories of something he'd never have again, and that made them bitter.   
  
But being bitter didn't make them any less strong, and Touya could almost feel her aura near him. That power she had in her, the power of the moon, enveloping him completely.   
  
And then he heard it. Soft and child-like and so innocent that threw him of balance.  
  
"Do you know how much there is 'til lunch brake?"  
  
Touya lifted his gaze and stared at the boy sitting beside him. He was wearing a smile even more maddening than his father's. Why was people around him always so dam happy?!  
  
His glasses were to big for his face and his voice seemed that of a twelve-year-old. Touya guessed he might have been, since he was so slender and thin. No wonder he was thinking about food.  
  
Immediately he felt it. The aura around the boy. Touya couldn't stop himself from gasping, and the other boy stared at him with concern.  
  
"Are you ok? You look so pale! Maybe you need to eat something? That would make you feel better, I'm sure!"   
  
Touya blinked a few times and pulled himself together. He shook his head no.  
  
"I'm not hungry and I don't have a watch. Now let me pay attention." he grunted. The other boy smiled kindly and went back to listening to the math teacher, who was saying something about that year's program of studies.   
  
But Touya's attention was again somewhere else. This boy...he felt so much like Kaho only...only he felt purer somehow...and more powerful.   
  
He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of that power around him again. Whoever this boy was it didn't matter, but he should thank him somehow for letting him feel that again. It was more than what he'd ever hoped for.  
  
During lunch he tossed the sandwich his father had made for him into the garbage can and looked around the schoolyard for the most secluded place he could find. He was curious about the boy he'd met early. He couldn't stop thinking there was something slightly wrong with the way he looked. But ever since Kaho had left he'd tried his best to avoid anything that had to do with his perception. As she'd said it, it was indeed very hard to live having to see what others couldn't and now he didn't want anything to do with it. If he could have made it go away he would have. It wasn't as if it were useful for anything. Only to see his mother; not only was that unfair to his father and sister, he also didn't feel like seeing her anymore. It'd only worry her.  
  
He sat under a tree; it's shadow was shelter enough from the sunlight. His father had been right about one thing; he was beyond tired. Maybe he could fall asleep there? Who'd notice?  
  
"Hello!" came that cheery voice again, and Touya jumped in surprise. The other boy looked apologetic. "I'm sorry, did I startle you? I didn't mean to. Here..." he extended his hand, offering him an oversized sandwich, "take this and accept my apologies!" the gray haired boy smiled at him happily.  
  
"Do you solve everything with food?!" Touya said, annoyed. The other boy...giggled?  
  
"Oh! I suppose I do!"   
  
The boy sat next to him and opened a HUGE lunch bag, with tons of food of every variety in it. Touya stared at him, amazed.   
  
"Do you mind if I eat my lunch here with you? It's just that I don't know anyone around here and you're the only one I've talked to." Touya wanted to run, fast. Not only because this boy seemed to high on life -he wondered if there wasn't anything else getting him high, maybe amphetamines?!- but because his smile was getting contagious, and Touya did NOT felt like smiling.   
  
"We didn't talk. You asked something and I ignored you." Touya said grumpily. Maybe that'd drive him away. Even when the moon aura around him reminded him of Kaho; no, ESPECIALLY because of that. The boy's smile never faltered.  
  
"I see. Someone got out of bed with the wrong foot! You really don't want a chocolate? It'll cheer you up!"  
  
"Look!" Touya waved a finger in front of the boy's face, but he didn't seem affected by it. It surprised him, everyone else at school had always been very careful of Touya's bad moods. He was about to send him on his way, but the smile won him over. "Fine, sit there if you want, no one's stopping you."   
  
"Thank you! My name is Tsukishiro Yukito. I'm glad you'd let me be your friend. It's so hard to make friends in a new town!"   
  
Touya almost asked him where did he come from, but caught himself in time.  
  
"I didn't say we'd be friends, Tsukishiro," he said curtly.  
  
"Ah! It'd be a pity if we weren't! You seem like you'd be a good friend!" the boy cheered.   
  
"Well, I wouldn't." Was it his imagination or had he sounded less determined than before?  
  
Tsukishiro nodded and begun to eat his lunch in silence, something Touya welcomed. Though he couldn't forget the other boy was sitting beside him, he soon became at ease, not feeling threatened by Tsukishiro's presence any longer. At least while he had his mouth full.   
  
He caught himself staring at the other boy while he ate. He was so slender and delicate it was hard to believe he was a boy; even when many fifteen year olds were girly, they usually weren't as effeminate as this boy, without looking queer. He'd met a lot of people with 'healthy' appetites, but they usually looked like pigs while they ate. Not Tsukishiro though; not once he'd lost that delicacy about him.   
  
Finally lunch brake was over and Touya stood up, not paying attention to the dumb look Tsukishiro got on his face when he realized he had still half of his lunch left to eat. He started walking towards the building. He heard the boy putting his lunch away and running up to catch up with him. Touya sighed and shook his head. It was hopeless; the boy had decided he'd be his friend, and apparently he didn't have a say in the matter.   
  
"So..." Tsukishiro said, a little out of breath as soon as he reached him, "What did you say your name was?"  
  
"I didn't." Tsukishiro didn't answer, he just stared at him with *that* smile. Touya sighed again. "Kinomoto Touya."  
  
"That's a nice name. So, Kinomoto-kun, are you also new in town?"  
  
Touya stared at him, confused.  
  
"Why do you ask?"   
  
"Because you were also all alone like me!"   
  
"I'm not. I was alone because that's what I wanted."   
  
"Oh." Tsukishiro whispered. Touya looked at him from the corner of his eye. The boy looked ashamed. Could he really have missed that before he actually said it out loud? "I'm so sorry. I should leave you alone now."  
  
Touya winced. He remembered what it was like to be in a new school and how insecure he felt when he didn't know anyone. He'd had Kaho help him with that.  
  
The least he could do was be polite with the boy until he found new friends and left him alone like he wanted. Touya was sure it wouldn't take long. Everyone left him eventually.  
  
Tsukishiro turned around to leave, but Touya grabbed him by the arm and cleared his throat.  
  
"It's ok, you can walk with me. You're not that annoying," he said rolling his eyes. Tsukishiro beamed.  
  
"Good! Thank you! I won't bother you, I promise! Can I call you Touya? You can call me Yukito if you want."   
  
Touya rolled his eyes again and sighed.   
  
"Shut up."   
  
Yukito didn't seemed upset by that, he just smiled at him and remained quiet the rest of the way.   
  
During the next hours Touya tried to pay attention in class, and succeeded a little. He'd have to ask someone for the notes from the first period, since the teachers didn't seem to mind it was only the first day and had decided to start with the lessons and even left them homework.  
  
As he'd predicted, Yukito also followed him outside when the day was over. They walked in silence for a while, making Touya wonder why was it so comfortable to walk in silence with this stranger. Finally, the gray haired boy broke it with his cheerful voice.  
  
"I can give you my notes from the first period if you want." Yukito said kindly. Touya blinked a couple of times.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"I noticed you weren't paying attention. Do you want them? I can do my homework tomorrow morning before class if you bring them to me."   
  
Touya didn't know what to say. Had Yukito really been paying attention to him? Why? No one else ever did, not really. He wanted to say thanks, but that would mean giving in, somehow. He thought about it for a moment. An idea hit him.   
  
"Why don't you stop by my house for a while? I can write everything down and then you can go back home with your notes."   
  
Yukito practically jumped from sheer joy and Touya had to suppress a smile.  
  
"Really?! We could do our homework together!"  
  
"You really enjoy doing homework, don't you?" He certainly seemed exited about it. Then again, the boy seemed to be happy altogether, and Touya felt a bit of envy.  
  
Yukito looked confused.  
  
"Why you say that? I mean, well, yeah, I like history, it's fun! But we only have math and..."  
  
"Yukito..." This time the smile couldn't be suppressed any longer.   
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Shut up." he sad jokingly, noticing how much his mood had improved thanks to this cute boy.  
  
Touya mentally slapped himself. Had he just thought Yukito to be *cute*?  
  
************************   
  
Touya was coming down the stairs cheerfully, almost bumping into his father, who was on his way up. Fujitaka stared at him in mild surprise.  
  
"Sorry dad."  
  
"I was just going up to wake you...Well, no need for that now. Did you sleep well?"  
  
Touya nodded, smiling.  
  
"Yeah, I only got up early 'cause Yukito forgot one of his books here yesterday."  
  
"Yukito?" Fujitaka asked confused.  
  
"Oh, yeah, you weren't here. It's just a friend from school He just moved to Tomoeda and doesn't know anyone. His grandparents are away on a trip somewhere so he staid for dinner." he shrugged. "Sakura seems to like him."  
  
"I'd like to meet him," Fujitaka said with a smile.  
  
"I'll ask him to come by some day then. I have a feeling he won't refuse. Oh, and dad?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I'll ride with Sakura to school today. We made plans to meet Yukito on our way. I tell you, she likes him a lot."  
  
This time his father's smile seemed different, but why, Touya couldn't put his finger on it.  
  
THE END.  
  
A/N: Touya isn't really suicidal in this story. If you were ever fifteen and had your heart broken you'll know it feels like the end of the world and start to get funny ideas. Well, maybe that was just me…dam A…I still hate you! *sob* 


End file.
